


Evergreen

by StormbornQueen



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 00:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13155048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormbornQueen/pseuds/StormbornQueen
Summary: Don't catch feelings now, Brunnhilde. Even if he is tall, blond, totally ripped, and honestly the nicest, most pure being in existence...





	1. New Asgard

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been writing several one-shots here and there between Thor and Valkyrie (because I'm a slut for Thorkyrie, ok). I wasn't going to post them, but figured, why not? Characterization may be off some, but these are merely stories I relay in my head before I go to bed at night. Have a headcannon? Shoot me a message and maybe I'll add it in! I tried to keep them in some semblance of an order, but...we'll see how that goes. Enjoy!

Brunnhilde sits atop a small hill, watching one of the three suns set upon New Asgard. They'd been headed for Earth, and were turned away at the last moment. Something about alien civilizations not being allowed to settle where ever they like? The emerald and teal blades of grass brush against her skin, dancing in the wind as odd bugs and new smells float around her. This planet was a strange one; it felt alien to her, yet it had the potential to be a home. The sole Valkyrie dug her fingers into the rich soil, trying to remember what it was like to feel at home. Sakaar had not been a home, merely a destination. Asgard had been home once, but like everything else that Brunnhilde had grown close to, Asgard had perished. Maybe she’d find peace on this new planet, this New Asgard as the people called it. There was to be a meeting on deciding the official name, but Korg had insisted that New Asgard had a nice ring to it, and would look good on travel posters.

Not like they’d get many travelers. The three suns that orbited the planet made it near impossible for most life forms to inhabit due to extreme solar radiation. Luckily, Agardians were hardy people, and the radiation did not bother them. The pink water that flowed from beneath the surface was safe to drink, but the orange water from high in the mountains was toxic to anything it touched. White colored fruits were poisonous if consumed, as were the violet grasses that grew around the makeshift village the Asgardians had built at the base of the smallest mountain. Beasts roamed the planet as well, and while most were harmless, there were a handful that proved savage; sharp teeth, agile feet, and a need for fresh meat. Brunn had gone hunting with Thor and Hulk the other day, coming across a beast the size of a bear, but with something akin to antlers with sharp edges atop its head. The animal had eerie purple eyes and a roar that near shook the planet. It had taken both Thor and Brunn to take it down, and they’d each gotten some souvenirs; Thor caught a claw to the cheek, while Brunnhilde had an antler stab to the gut. Both were happy to eat the beast for dinner later that evening.

A soft humming broke Brunnhilde’s musings, and she looked down to see a luminescent pink flower moving towards her. Plant life on the planet was perhaps the strangest thing, as the plants seemed more alive and more vibrant than any other lifeform Brunnhilde had come across in her centuries of life. The flower stopped in the shadow of Brunn’s body, the humming intensifying as the layered petals fluttered in the wind. Humming then seemed to erupt around her, and not a moment later, Thor crested the hill with flowers following in his shadow.

“Odd things, these flowers. I think maybe the sun is too much for them today.” He stopped next to her, his red cape billowing in the breeze as he followed her gaze to look out across the grass plains.

“Suns. There’s three of them, remember?” Brunnhilde said after a moment, turning to look at the Thunder God.

“Ha, another odd thing. The two are pretty small though, and at least they travel almost together. It’s not nearly as hot as I thought it would be though.”

“No, I guess not.”

Silence stretched between them. Brunnhilde could tell Thor was antsy- something was bothering him. It wasn’t like her to inquire about his thoughts though, so she sat and waited for him to say what was on his mind.

“Valkyrie, you served Asgard for a long time. You knew the people. Do you think…” he trailed off, getting a far away look in his eye.

“You know, Lord of Thunder, I come out here for some peace and quiet.” She gave him a smirk, trying to be friendly.

“Oh, sorry. Sorry, I’ll leave.” He turned to go.

“If you need to talk, talk.”

Thor stopped and looked back at her. She was actually smiling. It was small and still reserved, but it was something. He turned again and moved back, sitting beside her. The flowers moved into the shadows behind them, humming in content. Thor looked to Brunnhilde, and the words vanished from his lips at the sight of the light framing her face, her hair dancing in the breeze.

“You were saying, your majesty?”

“Oh! Um…do you think Asgard will work here? I mean, will Asgard prosper as a people and a culture on this foreign planet?”

“Your majesty, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know these people. I haven’t known Asgard for centuries, I left it behind and drowned my sorrows in the bottle, remember? And the Asgard I did know was…daunting. All powerful and truly ruthless.” Thor’s lips turned into a frown, his gaze turning to look at the grass. “However, _you_ know your people. Settling here won’t be easy, but I think it can be done, especially if you put your faith in them. If your people are anything like you, they’ll have a New Asgard in no time.”

Thor lifted his gaze, his smile wide as he regarded her. “Is the Valkyrie being…optimistic?”

“Pssh.” She rolled her eyes, lying back. The flowers shrieked and moved away from her. “Me? Never!”

“Val, you almost crushed the poor flowers!”

Brunnhilde couldn’t help it, she giggled. It was light and happy, and it made her smile up at the pink clouds. Gods, she hadn’t _giggled_ in centuries! Thor looked equally perplexed.

“Aside from drinking too much and being a flower crusher, you’re a good friend, Valkyrie.”

Brunnhilde froze. No one had called her _friend_ in quite some time either. Her steely resolve was put back into place as she sat up. “So, we’re friends now?”

“Well, yes, I’d like to think we are. You did fight to the near death against my awful sister with me, so I think we can count each other as friends now.”

Brunnhilde watched his blue eye sparkle as the dying rays of the sun bounced off his gold eyepatch, his lips turned in an easy smile. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have friends,” she whispered.

“You better get used to it then, because I know Korg and Hulk are your friends too.”

“And Bruce?”

“He’s your friend too! When he’s not the big green idiot.”

Brunnhilde rolled her eyes, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. The flowers continued to hum behind them, the sound soothing. As the last rays of the sun floated across the horizon, Brunnhilde looked to Thor.

“You are a good king, Son of Odin. None of this is easy, and you will mess up and you will fail, but you will learn from it all. Your people trust you, I see it in the way they watch you. You won’t let them down. Just, don’t be like your father. At least, not exactly.”

“Thank you, Val.”

Val. She liked that. She had yet to tell him that Valkyrie was not her true name, but she wasn’t sure she ever _would_ tell him. The part of her that was Brunnhilde died a long time ago, or at least, that’s what she told herself.

The two of them sat in silence once again, an easy companionship between them. When the sun set, and the stars started to dart the night sky as the light of the moon grew bright, the God of Thunder and the last Valkyrie rose together, walking in stride back to the village, the flowers scattering into the night behind them.

“Thank you,” Thor said, bumping her shoulder. “For listening.”

“Any time, your majesty.”

“Thor. Call me Thor.”

“Ok, Thor, Lord of Thunder.” She smirked up at him, her chocolate eyes dancing in the moonlight.

 He liked the way ‘your majesty’ sounded coming from her lips, but ‘Thor’ was a step in a new direction. He may have lost his best friends on Asgard, but he had gained another, and he could already feel the hole left in his heart begin to heal. New Asgard brought new worries, but it also brought new promises.


	2. Falling at the Hand of a Perfect Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a romance to sadness that seems to bind two souls together.

An air of sorrow hung over the small village of New Asgard this morning. Fog hung low around the quiet streets, solemn Asgardians milling about in preparation for the afternoon’s festivities; Thor had organized a small memorial ceremony for those that had fallen at Hela’s hand.

Brunnhilde walked down the main street, the fog a cold serpent, wrapping around her heavy limbs as her heart thudded in her chest. She had had enough sorrow in her lifetime, and the mood around town today was absolutely suffocating. She needed a drink, and fast.

As if to read her mind, Thor stepped through the fog holding two mugs of a steaming liquid. As he stepped close to her, she could smell hints of Asgardian spices; mulled wine it seemed, befitting for today’s weather.

“I figured you could use a drink.” He spoke softly, his good eye searching hers.

“I could always use a drink,” she replied, attempting to smirk, but it was a weak effort. Why did he always care? Why was he so inherently nice all the time to someone like her? She took a mug from him, pushing it to her lips so she wouldn’t have to say anymore. The wine was hot on her tongue, the spices wakening her senses as the liquid traveled down her throat. The constricting chill of the fog seemed to ebb away already.

“You don’t have to come. To the ceremony today, I mean.” His shoulders slumped a little as he looked away from her, watching the people, his people, walk past them.

“I feel like I should.” _But only because I feel like I should be there for you_ , she thought.

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” _Because I know it probably brings back memories, memories you don’t want to dwell on_ , he thought.

She regarded the King of Asgard for a moment, and her heart ached for him. He had dark circles under his good eye, and his stubble hadn’t been tended to in quite some time. He looked tired, and beaten down. Of all the people Brunnhilde had met across the universe, Thor Odinson deserved to be the happiest person of them all. Yet, he was struggling to keep it together.

“I’ll be there.” She wasn’t sure why the words tumbled from her lips, when everything in her screamed to run away and lock herself in her room so she could drown herself in what was left of her Sakaarian alcohol stash.

“Good. That’s good. I’ll see you later then, Val.” He turned to walk away, and the smile he gave her over his shoulder made her stomach flutter. She cursed under her breath, bringing the mug to her lips again and reveling in the warmth it offered her. For a planet with three suns, New Asgard could get pretty chilly.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that afternoon, Thor stood on a small dais, looking over the small-town square. Behind him stood a lovely array of flowers arranged to look like Yggdrasil, compliments of Korg. Each flower represented a fallen Asgardian from Hela’s short takeover. Trying to count them had made Thor sick.

As he gave his short speech, he searched the crowd, taking in the sad eyes and watching tears roll down cheeks. He’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t solely looking for a pair of chocolate brown eyes framed by flowing chocolate brown hair. But she was nowhere in the crowd; he hadn’t really expected her to come. Like she had said, she didn’t know this Asgard. She’d already endured so much grief, she didn’t need to be burdened by more.

Once he finished his speech and the town had followed him to the bank of the gentle river, Thor placed the flowers into the water, watching as they slowly flowed away. Loki came to stand beside him, much to Thor’s surprise, while Korg and Hulk were a calming presence behind him. Artur, the young warrior that had been put in charge of training new soldiers, waded into the river, a longbow in his hand. An arrow was lit and shot through the air, landing in the clump of flowers and setting it ablaze.

Thor watched the flames dance, his jaw clenched.

“Lo, There do I see my Father,” he murmured.

“Lo, There do I see my Mother and My Brothers and my Sisters,” said someone behind him.

“Lo, There do I see the line of my people back to the beginning,” was said in usion, and soon, everyone was reciting the old hymn.

“Lo, They do call to me, they bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla. Where thine enemies have been vanquished, where the brave shall live Forever.”

“Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death,” said a familiar voice to his left, and he turned to see Valkyrie looking up at him.

“You came.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Her eyes held the look of sorrow, but her smile was sincere. Thor smiled at her in return, his eye brightening as he turned back to watch the burning flowers. He bumped his hand against hers, her fingers wrapping around his to give a gentle squeeze.

It’d been a long time since Brunnhilde had feelings for anything that wasn’t high in alcohol content. Feelings for Thor was a terrifying thing, a road she wasn’t sure she should travel down and save them both the heartbreak and inevitable destruction that followed in her wake. Yet looking at him now, these feelings thrilled her. He was a good man, perhaps the most pure and honest being she’d ever met. He deserved better than her, that was for sure, but for now, it seemed they needed each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know I said these were one-shots, but they're kinda falling into a little timeline? So not quite a story (because Lord knows I can't finish a damn story), but not quite one-shots? Idk.


	3. Brunnhilde

The first time she tells him her name, her true name, he just smiles his dopey grin.

She’s pressed against him in the large bed, their legs tangled beneath the sheets and his body a warm weight draped over her. She swears he’s asleep, his breathing slow and even and his good eye shut. The stubble along his jaw tickles her cheek as she moves her lips below his ear, placing a gentle kiss as her fingers run over the cool metal of his eyepatch.

“Brunnhilde,” she whispers. “My name is Brunnhilde.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. The weight of trying to forget her old life; forget who she was, who she was born to be, had suddenly felt lifted from her aching shoulders. She snuggles into Thor’s embrace, and looks up to see a boyish grin spread across his face.

“Thank you,” he whispers back, his fingers idly stroking her stomach as he places a kiss to her brow. “Brunnhilde.”

Her name falling from his lips sounded like a warm summer breeze gliding through the Yggdrasil tree of Asgard, warming her skin and making her feel at peace. She used to think she didn’t deserve a happy ending, didn’t deserve to ever feel the embrace of a lover again. Yet, at that moment, her cracked and bleeding heart swelled with the affection she held for this giant oaf of a thunder God. Perhaps she could love again, and be loved in return.


	4. Dust

The sky over New Asgard was a mesmerizing purple, the stars sparkling like distant diamonds as the twin suns set over the horizon. Brunnhilde sat at the window of Thor’s appointed office, gazing at the sky, the tablet with shipping schedules forgotten on the desk behind her.

How in the nine realms had she allowed Thor to convince her to stay? He was on his way to Earth to meet a robot man named Stark, yet she was stuck on New Asgard, watching over their people in his absence. She had asked to go and had fumed when he declined. Brunn no longer considered herself a leader, and doubted she’d be any good to the people of Asgard. Thor, of course, had rejected that and basically _commanded_ her to be in charge. If it had been just a few months ago, Brunn would’ve shoved her sword into his gut for commanding her to do anything. Yet, when it came to good king Thor, she couldn’t put up much of a fight. Her lips still held the feel of his, as he’d kissed her goodbye on the platform before boarding the cargo ship headed to Midgard, two days ago.

Two days. It felt like an eternity to Brunn, but at least Korg was around to help her. New Asgard was busy settling into life, and Brunn had worked non-stop, whether it be helping to build structures, or conducting fight classes, or reading stories of old to the orphans. Watching over what was left of an ancient civilization was exhausting, and it brought a new-found respect for Thor and all he put up with.

Her heart clenched at the thought of the thunder god. Their relationship was new, but it held promise. She wasn’t Scrapper 142 or Valkyrie when she was with Thor, she was just Brunnhilde. He saw the good in her, and in turn, she tried to see the good in everything else.

A chirp from her tablet tore her away from the window and her thoughts, and she crossed the small space to read the message that flashed on the screen.

_“Distress call from Cargo Ship received.”_

Brunn’s breath caught in her throat. She opened the message, quickly clicking the audio link for the call.

_“We are no threat! This is a passenger vessel…I repeat, we are no threat!”_

There was the sound of blaster fire in the background, and the call went to static before ending a few moments later. Brunnhilde took a deep breath, her mind flashing through all the possibilities of what could’ve happened. Memories of a blonde beauty taking one of Hela’s swords to the chest flashed across her mind, and Brunn shivered.

Not wanting to waste any time or dwell on what could’ve happened, she ran from the room, making her way through the corridors of Thor’s small palace. She had just exited into the courtyard when a loud boom echoed overhead, and a flurry of colors touched down before her. Brunnhilde stopped, unsheathing her sword, weary as to what could’ve summoned the power of the broken Bifrost.

She did not expect to see a bleeding Heimdall lying motionless in the grass. Brunn crossed to him quickly, rolling him onto his back. He was alive, but she could tell he was in great pain.

“Heimdall? What happened?” She applied pressure to his wound as she brought out her tablet, sending a quick message to Korg to get medical aid. She thanked all the gods above for Dr. Bruce Banner and his ability to provide most of New Asgard with tablets in just a few short months.

Heimdall could barely open his golden eyes, his breathing labored as he tried to reply. He coughed then, blood splattering the grass beneath him. “Thanos,” he mumbled, looking past her to the bleeding purple sky.

It was a ghost of a whisper, but the name rang like thunder in Brunnhilde’s ears. Of course, Thanos, the mad titan. Thor had told her just last week of a dream he had, where a large purple man held six small stones and controlled the cosmos. He’d said he had similar dreams before, ones that led to Ragnarok. Ones that had come true.

Brunnhilde knew the story of the infinity stones, knew the power they wielded, and knew that Thanos had lusted after them for quite some time. Had he finally found a way to harness their power and collect the stones? She clenched her fists at the thought.

Korg arrived moments later, helping to move Heimdall to the healing center. Once she knew he was settled, Brunnhilde took the nearest stag (yes, the deer on New Asgard were big enough to ride) and rode for the ship platform. Wasting no time, she launched the Commodore into space, speeding to the last known point of the cargo ship. Thor was out there somewhere, and she would find him. She was sure of it.

 

* * *

 

 

Two grueling days had passed before the Commodore returned to New Asgard, and a defeated Valkyrie stalked off the platform. She had searched endlessly, her efforts fruitless. No Thor, and no survivors. No sign of Loki or Bruce either. The only reason she had returned was because Korg had called to say Heimdall had finally woken.

Korg greeted her at the door to Heimdall’s healing room. Together, they walked in to find the watchman of the gods propped up in his bead, his chest wrapped in bandages.

“Is Thor alive?” Brunnhilde decided to skip the pleasantries, they’d have time for that later. Right now, she needed to know.

“Yes, and he’s possibly stronger than ever.” A smile crept over Heimdall’s face. “But he’s mourning, he’s in pain.”

“Loki… he didn’t make it, did he?”

“No. The trickster tried one last trick, and we all almost died for it. Now, the whole universe will suffer.”

“Thanos?”

“Yes.”

“Where? Is Thor with him?”

“It appears they are in battle now.” Heimdall’s eyes were glowing in the faint light, his head bowed in concentration. “They’re on Midgard.”

“Then we need to go to him!”

“It’s too late. We’re all…” Heimdall trailed off, his hands rising off the bed. His arms were starting to _disappear_.

“Well now bruh, this isn’t right…”

Brunnhilde turned to see Korg _fading away_. She screamed internally but could only watch in horror as the two men disintegrated. In a moment, both Korg and Heimdall were gone. Brunn let out a shaky breath, trying to gather her wits. He’d done it then; Thanos had collected all the stones. Thousands of years in this galaxy and Brunnhilde thought she’d never see the day. Letting out a guttural roar, Brunnhilde stormed from the room. Who else was gone? How many were left, and what would they do now? People just didn’t just vanish into the air like dust!

Her heart thudded heavily against her chest as her mind wandered… what of Thor? Tears pricked at her eyes, but she blinked them away. She was a Valkyrie, and those who were left would not see her cry. They needed a leader now more then ever, and a leader she would be. Not for herself, but for Thor, wherever in this massive universe he could be. He wasn’t gone, she could feel it. His presence in the galaxy was a light that called to her, and she would find him, come Hel or high water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it's taken me so long to update! I lost motivation for writing, but hopefully I'm back into the swing of things again. Especially after seeing Infinity War! Heimdall did not deserve that death, so I tweaked it a bit ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I figured that before I add the other chapters I'd been working on, I'll fit in what happened during Infinity War, that way my story flows a little better. Let me know what you think, and hopefully the next chapter will be up very soon.


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